US, Iraqi Death Tolls Plummet

September stats are lowest since summer of 2006
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 1, 2007 3:11 PM CDT
US, Iraqi Death Tolls Plummet
A 1920s Revolution Brigades member talks to Iraqi children near the city of Buhriz, 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad in this Saturday, July 7, 2007 file photo. Thousands of former militants have renounced the terror network and teamed with U.S. soldiers to wrest Diyala province back from al-Qaida...   (Associated Press)

The death tolls among US soldiers and Iraqi civilians both fell significantly in September, hitting their lowest levels since the summer of 2006. Civilian deaths dropped 50% to 988, compared to 1,975 in August. The American death toll in September was 64, the fewest casualties since July 2006, the AP reports.

The numbers reflect US success in curbing violence in and around Baghdad, but the AP cautions that it considers all figures minimum estimates, and many deaths are not accounted for. September included the first half of Ramadan, Reuters adds, and saw reduced casualties even though Al-Qaeda had threatened violence. Military commanders voiced concern over future “spectacular” one-off attacks. (More Iraq stories.)

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